City officials said Plaid Friday was an Oakland idea originally and has now spread to other cities in the U.S.

Plaid Friday founder Kerri Johnson said in a statement, “The idea behind Plaid Friday is that small businesses are like the individual threads that together create a strong fabric and community.”

Johnson owns Marion + Rose Fine Goods at 461 Ninth St. in Oakland.

City officials said Plaid Friday Weekend is the start of a season-long effort to encourage residents and visitors to shop locally.

On Friday as well as Saturday and each Saturday through New Year’s Day street meter parking will be free for the period posted on the meter.

City officials said spending a dollar at a local business improves the city’s economy three times as much as a dollar spent at chain store and 50 times as much as a dollar spent at an online mega-retailer.